Monday, March 6, 2017

La Dolce Vita - Movie Review

Frederico Fellini's 1960 classic 'La Dolce Vita' (The Good Life) takes us through seven days in the life of Marcello, a young journalist who writes for gossip magazines. In the course of the seven days we see his life up close - his meeting with the famous Hollywood actress Sylvia, his possessive and insecure girl friend Emma, his relationship with a philandering rich woman Maddelena, his intellectual counterpart Steiner who has the perfect life, a visit by his father for a day etc.

We soon see the futility of Marcello's purposeless life as he flits from one dream to another only to realise that each one is pretty empty inside. Sylvia's life is shallow, Maddelena is instable, Steiner kills himself and his angelic children. Marcello is condemned to live in want, but will never get what he aspires for. That much is clear.

Interestingly shot and made. Marcello's motives appear unclear - my bet is that he wants both lives and cannot make up his mind. Off the list. To watch again. That's what one does with classics.

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